Best way to swim with gear

antonputman · Joined: 22 May 2014 Posts: 137 Location: North Shore Italy

It never really happened to me but I would like to know the best technique to swim back to shore with the gear. Where do you position, where do you hands pull the gear (or maybe push?) in what angle lays the gear?
What do you do when you can't make it? Ditch the rig and paddle in with the board? Will the rig sink?
Any thoughts are appreciated!

MalibuGuru · Joined: 11 Nov 1993 Posts: 9299

I am an ocean sailor and have had to swim long distances with my rig. Best way is to lay boom on board with wind to your back, (starboard tack), and let what little breeze there is lifting it out of the water, with the help of your right arm lift it. I pump the sail up and down (boom off the board and up in the air) like a birds wing flapping. I frog kick and use my left hand to steady the board, or swim at the same time.

If there is zero wind, I just lay the boom on the board and frog kick in. Make sure that with both techniques that the sail is completely out of the water with boom balanced on the board.

cgoudie1 · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:19 am Post subject: Re: Best way to swim with gear

The rig will sink (slowly), but sometimes it's better to lose the rig. You might get lucky and have it wash up somewhere depending on the currents.

-Craig

p.s. Some people try and derig the sail in gnarly wind conditions. I've
never seen this done successfully, but with a broken mast you can
occasionally get a mast piece free which can be useful for stabilization
and or paddling while sitting on the board (after you've pitched the rest of the rig)

jingebritsen · Joined: 21 Aug 2002 Posts: 3371

self rescue or just swim the mess in as is. been there, done that from uppers kanaha and from other spots. doesn't seem to make much difference. swimming in time is about the same. if one is out a very long distance, then one should derig and paddle home. if it's under a mile, esp well under, just drag it in.

broken fin? 1/2 water start is way easier.

broken boom? same. why not just sail it back in? broken boom is less than half as strong as a whole one.....

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

SEARCH the forum for many long discussions and excellent tips/techniques. I suggest key words like self rescue swim. Start with confining your search to topics rather than posts, and check "use all terms" rather than "use any term". If those aren't enough, just use rescue or swim as the key word.

Now go fishing.

techno900 · Joined: 28 Mar 2001 Posts: 4161

I have done the de-rig thing once, but it was at Bird Island Basin in Corpus Chirsti about 1/2 mile out in chest deep water on a 100L board and a 5.0 sail.

Broke the mast, left it in the water, rolled up the sail on top of the boom on the deck of the board. Paddled some, walked some, etc for 45 minutes to get back on shore. I was on a beam reach with small chop. Not comfortable to lay on the board with the mast base and extension still attached. Didn't want to take it off for fear of losing it, but probably could have stuck it in the foot straps and tied it on with the downhaul line (an after thought).

I once tried to tow in a buddy about a 1/2 mile out. Broken mast. Both on Formula equip. with big sails. I used some line tied to my foot straps & tied to his mast. Drag was way too much to gain any headway. Left him to drift to another shore, sailed in and got the car to go pick him up.

It's always critical to know where you will drift to if all goes badly and there is no one to assist. Dress for the occasion.

spennie · Joined: 13 Oct 1995 Posts: 975 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

Good one, techno900, "dress for the occasion".

I swam for 2 hours once, luckily was dressed for the occasion. De-rigged in the water (PITA but doable) & tied it to the board using the downhaul, but was unable to lay on the board as I needed to paddle across the wind, and the chop kept tipping me over. Ended up mostly side-stroking with one hand on the nose, switching sides now & then, and sometimes pushing my gear ahead of me. I now carry a 12' piece of downhaul coiled up & tied to my harness for these occasions. I felt fine that day, but couldn't get up the next, utterly exhausted, called in sick.

DanWeiss · Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2296 Location: Connecticut, USA

Step by step directions by the master himself, Tinho Dornellas: http://www.calema.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=3

scargo · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 394

The step-by-step instructions are good. I did it exactly like this one time, and had a really hard time staying on top of the board. Waves were coming side-shore, and I kept getting knocked off. Or sometimes I'd stay on the board, but the whole assembly would capsize. It used a ton of energy, and progress was extremely slow.

What I took from the experience is that de-rigging is not the hardest part, and that if there are many complicating factors--e.g., fatigue, water temperature, big waves, no way to jury rig something--one should seriously consider abandoning the rig.

spennie · Joined: 13 Oct 1995 Posts: 975 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

The rig yes, but never the board!